Chapleau Roman Catholics will celebrate 100th anniversary of first midnight mass in present church this Christmas Eve

When members of Chapleau's Roman Catholic community attend midnight mass on Christmas Eve this year, they will be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the present Sacred Heart Church. The mass in 1919 was celebrated by Father Romeo Gascon.

According to an article by Father Albert Burns SJ, a Chapleau native who was an altar boy at the December 24, 1919 Midnight Mass, the first church was built in 1885, on the site of what is today Collins Hardware. This church had become too small, and a larger one was built in 1891 with its final touch in 1898 on the site of the present church. Unfortunately it was destroyed by fire on December 18, 1918 just before Christmas. 

Father Albert Burns SJ

The new church was built under the guidance of  Mgr Roméo Gascon, Pastor at that time. The first Mass was Midnight Mass December 24, 1919.

Father Burns added, quoting from a book by Gemma Gagnon that the Jesuit Fathers on October 19th 1911, transferred the parish to a zealous priest, who had been two years pastor of Cochrane, Father Roméo Gascon. Later made Mgr Gascon, he was pastor 47 years in Chapleau. He died on January 25th 1958. 

To my many Roman Catholic friends in and from Chapleau, I extend my most sincere congratulations to you on the 100th anniversary of the present Sacred Heart Church. As a young person in Chapleau I was privileged to attend Midnight Mass at Christmas in your church with my good friend Louis Fortin and members of his family. One year I ran between your church and St. John's Anglican Church to attend both services. The Mass was celebrated in Latin at that time, and I still vividly recall the choir singing Adestes Fideles (O Come all Ye Faithful.). My life was made better from knowing so many of you. Thank you.

Turning to St John's Church for a moment, my aunt, Marion (Morris) Kennedy who died in 2007 once sent me a piece of writing she had done which captured Christmas at St. John's Anglican Church. when she was a child growing up in Chapleau. Aunt Marion wrote in part: "The bellows were worked by boys given the honour in a cupboard below the organ. There was many a tale of the organist wildly pumping the footpedals and calling for air. The boys carved or wrote their initials on the walls - one set belonging to the brother of the narrator (my father James E. Morris), and in times of refurbishing the church the initials were always left as is.

"At one of the Christmas services, a young girl sat with her mother (my grandmother, Lil (Mulligan) Morris), third pew from the chancel steps and below the pulpit, watching through her fingers, the parishioners partaking the Holy Communion Rite. So many came forward and at the end of the procession one native gentleman came slowly up the aisle on moccasined feet -- one could feel the pain,

"He was helped up the chancel steps by a choir member to the waiting respectful minister holding chalice and bread. The repast over. the gentleman made his way slowly back to his pew. The choir and congregation in awe, joined in humble reunion. As the church members exited, Christmas greetings were exchanged quietly. Everyone was moved by the devotion and faith of the native gentleman who had walked a long distance to attend." Aunt Marion added that she recalled this particular service every Christmas thereafter no matter where she was living.

I recall Christmas Eve in Chapleau so well as citizens of all denominations would meet and greet each other as they went to and from their respective churches. It was usually a bitterly cold clear night with the temperature at times reaching minus 50 below Fahrenheit, the smoke from chimneys going straight up to the heavens, lots and lots of snow, and everyone bundled up in their Christmas finery. But people greeted each other and the sounds of "Merry Christmas" and "Joyeux Noel" could be heard from all sections of the town as people took time from their other festivities to attend church.This also included parishioners from Trinity United Church.

The display at Dr Young's building at Beech and Lorne Streets was also a special attraction.

 To all readers, my very best wishes for Christmas and 2020 as we start another decade of the 21st century. God bless. 

NOTE --This column appears in a bit different way in the December 19, 2001 edition of the Chapleau Express as my Chapleau Moments column. I wanted to mark the 100th anniversary of the present Sacred Heart Roman Catholic Church.  My email is mj.morris@live.ca

Updated third edition of 'The Chapleau Boys Go To War' as legacy to Chapleau boys who served our country now available

Ongoing research since the first edition of 'The Chapleau Boys Go to War' was first published in 2015 has led to a third edition being made available, according to co-author Michael McMullen.

I co-authored the book with Michael who is my cousin through our paternal grandparents, May (Mulligan) McMullen and Lil (Mulligan) Morris. We trace our Chapleau connection to 1885 and the arrival of the Canadian Pacific Railway when Patrick Mulligan, their uncle arrived in the community.

"As a result of our on-going research of the past several years we felt we had enough information to produce the third edition",  Michael said.  " This is our legacy for the Chapleau Boys who served in uniform and we wanted all our information in print." 

The third edition contains updated information of the Chapleau boys, particularly in World War One including the names of four additional deaths (up from 32 to 36), additional names of enlistments (up from 283 to 293), and more letters from overseas.

There is now a separate chapter on the 227th Overseas Battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force, (Men of the North). Of the 293 volunteers with a Chapleau connection who enlisted for World War One with some exceptions they joined the Canadian Expeditionary Force .

By mid-1916 a Chapleau platoon had been formed with over 50 enlistments. Had we never undertaken our book I would not have  known that my grandfather Harry Morris was the first recruit to complete his attestation form on April 16, 1916. He was 26 and a railroad conductor. He never talked much about his experiences overseas in World War One. He also never said too much about his son, James Morris, my father, who was killed on active service in the RCAF during World War Two on July 16, 1943.  My grandmother and I would have chats.

Michael K and Michael J

In April 1916 after a visit to Chapleau by Lieutenant Colonel Charles Hugh Lepailleur Jones the Chapleau Citizens Recruiting Committee was formed. One of its members was William McMullen, Michael's grandfather,

Of the 62 who served in the platoon seven died during or soon after the war due to war related activities or disease illness suffered while on active service.

The third edition also contains more letters from the boys on active service to the folks back home. It is  truly a moving experience to read these messages from a battlefield in Europe.

In 'The Chapleau Boys Go To War' we recognize that  World War One and World War Two resulted in Canadians from all walks of life served in our country's armed forces. Our story is about the contributions and sacrifices made during these two wars, at home and abroad, by the people of Chapleau, Ontario, a relatively small community in northern Ontario in World War One and World War Two.

There are 18 more pages than in the previous editions.

Michael and I extend our most sincere thanks to Lucy Bignucolo of Chapleau Village Shops for all the assistance she had provided in promoting and sellling the first two editions of our book. The third edition is also available at Village Shops. It is also available at amazon.com and amazon.ca. You can also email me for a copy at mj.morris@live.ca..Thanks to all who have supported this project.

Ian Macdonald reports on St. John's Chapleau as project draws international attention at 2019 National Trust Conference as Jason Rioux wins award for transformation of church into vibrant, socially useful and profitable facility

JASON RIOUX

Note from MJM: I am delighted that Ian Macdonald, retired head of the department of architecture and professor emeritus at the University of Manitoba agreed to write a column on the award that Jason Rioux won for his efforts in transforming St. John's Church into the "Chapleau Hub" bringing international attention to the project and to Chapleau. Most readers know that Ian is a Chapleau boy having attended Chapleau Public and High Schools as well as working on the Canadian Pacific Railway before becoming a distinguished professor of architecture and architect. He took the time to attend the National Trust Conference where Jason accepted the award.


Ian's continuing interest in Chapleau reminds me of the maxim that you can take the boy (or girl) out of Chapleau, but you can't take Chapleau out of them!!!! Thank you so much Ian.  MJM






BY IAN MACDONALD




Chapleau, Ontario was recently the centre of international attention at the 2019 National Trust Conference held in Winnipeg from October 17 to 19. One of the main conference events was recognition of a selected number of significant heritage projects in Canada including the remarkable efforts of Jason Rioux in transforming St. John’s Church in Chapleau into a vibrant, socially useful and profitable facility.


The National Trust for Canada in association with the Canadian Association of Heritage Professionals function as major advocates for promoting Canadian heritage including historic architecture, artifacts, landscapes and a multitude of specialized areas including railway heritage. Planning and community development across the country now includes heritage as a major factor in developing healthy and sustainable communities. Major international meetings such as the Winnipeg conference provide an opportunity for a wide range of successful project case studies to be presented, discussed and honoured.


 Conferences of this type remain an important part of keeping abreast of the times for planners and designers. Despite to-day’s ease of access to information, there is still no substitute for sharing experience on a personal basis. Jason Rioux, in addition to the formalities of receiving his award also had the opportunity to present the Chapleau St. John’s project in two working sessions where lessons and problem-solving strategies were shared.


Transformation from St. John’s Anglican Church to “The Hub”


The important historic cultural role of St. John’s Anglican church cannot be understated. Thanks to Michael Morris’ articles and publications, the history of the church is generally well known. The Anglicans established themselves in Chapleau even prior to the completion of the Canadian Pacific Railway in 1885 with services being conducted in such unlikely places as an empty boxcar and a partially completed railway depot. The first permanent church structure which was opened and consecrated on July 1 1886 was located on the south west corner of Pine and Young St. The rapidly growing community, however, would soon generate a demand for a much larger church to be built opposite the original. Plans for the building were thus developed in 1905 and construction was completed on March 29, 1908 at a cost of $18,000.00. St. John’s, in addition to serving the spiritual needs of the community, functioned in a broader role as the pro-cathedral of the Diocese of Moosonee until 1913. It would gradually play a significant and integral part of the cultural life of the community for the next century.

The church is a classic heritage building originally built in the traditional gothic revival style which was consistent with Anglican churches of the day constructed of masonry bearing walls on a rubble stone foundation. The roof structure is a vaulted timber joist roof assembly supported by distinctive specially fabricated timber hammer trusses. Interiors of the church were elegantly finished and carefully restored in the 1950’s. The basement area which was known then as Renison Hall functioned as a church hall and was used for a variety of community social activities. The church itself could accommodate congregations of over 250 parishioners.


Changing economic conditions coupled with unfortunate ideological division within the broader national Anglican community led to a steady decline in church membership beginning in the 1960s. The dwindling congregation thus found it increasingly difficult to generate funds necessary to
to maintain a building of this size properly.


Specialized work would be required to replace mechanical, heating and ventilation equipment and rehabilitate the building to allow it to accommodate new uses and meet more stringent building code requirements. Unfortunately, neither the Anglican Church of Canada nor the Township of Chapleau was prepared to step up and take responsibility and demolition seemed to be the only option. The challenge for Jason Rioux upon acquiring the building was to retain the original spirit of the building while adapting it to new purposes. The financial risk in addition to the business acumen necessary to develop a strategy for creative and innovative rehabilitation were all factors in selecting the project as an award winner.


Heritage can be a complex factor in the planning and development of communities and not always completely understood and appreciated. We are too easily prone to defaulting to demolition as an easy fix rather than face up to the more complicated task of rehabilitation. Architecture, since the earliest human settlements, has provided commodity and shelter but has at the same time been an enduring expression of cultural beliefs and values.


It is an expression of who we are. Buildings like St. John’s, in this sense, are important historical markers in this case expressing a particular set of Christian values and beliefs of the era. St. John’s along with the other Chapleau churches have co-existed beside one another reflecting a community of diverse cultural backgrounds and values. The fact that beliefs and values change over time does not automatically render something obsolete that has to be destroyed. Buildings, like all of us, can be transformed and adapt to modified values and conditions. Jason Rioux was cited nationally for his personal courage in absorbing financial risk and for mustering the imagination and innovation required to make the Hub project a reality.



Video Link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VY-pbRvLr6k&feature=youtu.be